Patootie Patrol

 It was a soaker.

Visit #1615, Sunday 23 August 26, 6:40-8:55 a.m., 3.2 miles, 0.0 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 70s, rain.

Last week I reported my dissatisfaction removing what I call the Cat Patootie graffiti, from a trail marker. I had planned on returning mid-week using a more effective method. In the interim, I received an e-mail from a regular park visitor and one of my park informants that there were more to be found.

I'm very grateful when I receive information like this as it makes me more efficient in my work.

As a bonus, this informant ALSO picks up litter which is certainly appreciated, by me and all park visitors.

So on a Tuesday mountain bike ride I went on the hunt to perform both tasks.

I returned to my unfinished trail marker and removed the ghost image remaining from last week.

Then the hunt was on for the other tags.

My wire brush wouldn't touch this.

All that was catalogued. I returned via bike again on Friday to cover everything.

While Patootie Patrol was done, I still had a fallen tree I discovered last week, AND during my mountain bike rides through the trails this week, discovered MORE fallen trees needing removal.

Things got off to an interesting start on Sunday morning, for as I was loading up my backpack in the parking lot, a goose wandered over looking for food and found none. But that didn't stop them from tasting ALL of my zipper pulls!

I waited until they deemed all the zipper pulls inedible then picked up my backpack and headed out.

And I didn't have to go far, for I found a newly fallen tree I was not aware of, located on the Soap Box Derby track. Since I had my chainsaw with me, I went to work on it.

I didn't carry loppers with me today so I'll have to tidy things up next week.

Hiking up the short steep pitch to the clearing adjacent to the water treatment plant, I discover this enormous, multi-ton boulder had dislodged itself and tried rolling down the trail only to be stopped by a tree. I hike this trail often enough to know this was very recent. Crazy stuff.

It started raining and would continue to do so for the rest of my hike but no matter, I was expecting it.

Here's the second tree to be removed, on the trail behind the water tank.

It was a long trek to the third tree, down below the wooden walkbridge.

Enroute to the fourth tree I found another of our park's vandal's never ending posting of junk, which I removed.

And still raining, I finished off the fourth and final tree, this one on what some may know as the "Yellow Duck" trail because of the trail markers.

Finally, from the Dodging Handcuffs department, as I reached the parking lot, a Meriden police officer pulled up in his squad car and asked me if I was cutting down trees. I pleaded my case and showed him the photos on my phone, avoiding a pat down search, a reading of my Miranda Rights, and a 'cuffed ride in the back seat.

I'm Strictly A Poseur

 

Visit #1614, Sunday 16 August 26, 6:15-9:20 a.m., 5.7 miles, 6.9 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 60s, sunny and slightly humid.

Picking up litter on the trails of Hubbard Park is child's play compared to what these ladies do.

Like one woman says in the video, "We're the Green Berets of environmental do-gooders."

I think they are, and that makes me just a lowly Latrine Queen, which in fact I was in Air Force basic training.

So I hiked today in extreme modesty after being humbled by the OLAUG group.

Up by the water treatment plant, I stumbled upon Cat's Patootie #40 since November 2016.

My standard method of removal left a ghost image on the trail marker. I shall return and be victorious!

Behind the water tank I found a newly fallen tree. I shall return next week for that too, in a Power Tool Weekend®.

But this other fallen tree which I came upon didn't have to wait a week for removal. Folding saw to the rescue!

This land based trash poseur finished his hike.

Be Careful Out There

 Visit #1613, Sunday 9 August 26, 6:10-8:05 a.m., 3.5 miles, 4.9 lbs. of litter.

As this article from The Economist points out, a lot can go wrong on the trail and help isn't five minutes away.

Besides the more life threatening things that can happen, you might trip over a fallen tree or get scratches on your face as you brush by a bent branch. This week I removed some of those safety hazards.

Personally, I carry a first aid kid, a special blood clot kit when I bring my chainsaw, compass, emergency whistle, food, water, and a sense of direction!

The first two trees I encountered I wasn't made aware of last week because I didn't hike this particular trail. Which is why I choose this trail this week since I had the big tools with me.

Fact is, I didn't need my chainsaw on these two above; my folding saw is proves itself time and again that it can handle many of the smaller jobs.

This third tree fell this past week and here I did begin using my chainsaw.

Now on to what I was made aware of during last week's hike.

Here it is in mid-removal.

And last...

All done to lessen your potential for injury. However, if you get lost or aren't wearing the proper clothes, you're on your own. Be careful out there!

Workarounds

 Sunday's humidity was so thick not only could you see it, you could sit on it.

Visit #1611, Saturday 1 August 26, 6:10-7:00 a.m., mileage and litter n/a.

Temps in the low 70s, cloudy and extremely humid.

Visit #1612, Sunday 2 August 26, 6:00-8:15 a.m., 4.8 miles, 2.6 lbs. of litter.

Weather same as Saturday.

Correction:  A couple weeks ago I commented on the spread of wild raspberries on the trails. Well, blog reader Mike reached through the phone to give me a dope slap and correct me. Those are NOT wild raspberries; they are wineberries. Thanks, Mike; my cheeks are healing just fine.

Last week I found a lot of new graffiti on road signs and elsewhere around Merimere Reservoir. I couldn't remove it all then, so I rode my mountain bike into the park early Saturday morning to address it. By going early I avoided the worst of the humidity, and the attention of people.

I started cleaning this sign last week but my chemical remover was also taking off the black.

Rather than make things worse, I merely sprayed black paint over everything.

I won't bore you with After photos, but here are all the tags I removed.

All those tags were done by the same person/group.

Other reasons why I rode my mountain bike to the park to do this work were, by lashing it to the street sign I could stand on my bike like a stepladder to easily reach the sign, and it was much quicker than on foot.

All that graffiti removal took its toll on my rag and I had to trash it.

An interesting sight on this early Saturday morning: It was 6:25 a.m. and I found this e-bike locked to the guardrail by a trailhead. I was immediately suspicious.

Some time after I finished removing all the graffiti and was heading back to the park, the e-bike rider passed me.

When I returned to Hubbard Park on Sunday morning, I was curious to see whether the e-bike would be at the same location, at a similar time. Guess what...

...different e-bike, similar time and locked at the same location. The e-bike was also gone when I passed by the site later in my hike, at roughly the same time I saw him Saturday.

With my interest piqued, rather than follow my original plan, I decided to hike one of the two trails which branch off in the background of the photo, expecting to find SOMETHING.

I came up empty in my quest, but I still suspect something's up. I'm going to keep an eye on this.

Also of note on Saturday, someone (not me!) has taken to placing natural debris adjacent to the speed bumps, presumably to thwart drivers who drive around them. I thought it was funny!

On Sunday I returned to the park through the north end because the Puerto Rican Festival in Hubbard Park limited parking.

I found and removed more of Hubbard Park's Tchotchke Vandal's junk.

And it's a good thing I followed his trail. It lead me to another trail and...

... and newly fallen tree. Here you see it after I did some trimming to make it easier to pass by. 

And it wasn't the only fallen tree I found on the trails Sunday.

All of which means an upcoming Power Tool Weekend®.

I also found Cat Graffiti #39 since November 2016.

Cat Graffiti #x will hereafter be known as Cat Patootie #x after it was given that name by blog reader and Big Y cashier, Susan. Incidentally, the word patootie does not appear in my Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary but does appear in the Oxford English Dictionary. I was ripped off.

And finally, a piece of Hubbard Park history.

While chatting with an older Hubbard Park regular on Saturday he pointed out this following tidbit:

Old guardrails in Hubbard Park were of the wood and cable variety; many still stand.

In one particular section it's not wood but steel. Why the change?

Well, prior to 1970 or so, the road around Merimere Reservoir was open to traffic 24/7. At this particular spot, around 1968 two individuals in a car failed to negotiate the road, flipped their car, ended up in the reservoir, and died. To make the guardrail more resistant to this kind of result, the guardrail at this spot was replaced with the metal pipes you see. The person who told me this story said it was true because he (about 8 years old at the time) and his father drove by the location the day after the accident to rubberneck at the aftermath.

Down to the basement I go, to prep my chainsaw for next week.